Munnerlyn gets first interception with Vikings

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, one of the Vikingsâ prized additions in the offseason, intercepted his first pass in purple in the first quarter of tonightâs preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the Chiefs in the red zone and threatening to tie the game, Munnerlyn jumped in front of Chiefs wide receiver Frankie Hammond Jr., who was running a deep post through the end zone.

âI was playing Cover Three man and I had outside leverage,â he said. âI knew I was close to the end zone so I knew he couldnât run by me. He had to stop soon. So I undercut him and made a play.â

But then Munnerlyn, who has returned five of his seven regular-season interceptions for scores, admittedly made the mistake of trying to run the ball out of the end zone instead of taking a knee and taking the touchback. The poor field position preceded a Matt Cassel sack, fumble and safety.

“I should have stayed in the end zone to give the offense better field position,â he said. âBut itâs the preseason. In a game situation, I know Iâve got to make a better judgment and get on a knee.â

The interception was the first of three for the Vikings, who picked off starter Alex Smith twice.

âUsually when you get around the quarterback, good things happen,â head coach Mike Zimmer said.

Matt Vensel is in his second year at the Star Tribune after covering the Ravens for the Baltimore Sun for six years. He is a Pittsburgh native and a Penn State grad. Follow him at @mattvensel.

Mark Craig has covered the NFL for 23 years, and the Vikings since 2003 for the Star Tribune. He is one of 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. Follow him at @markcraignfl.

Master Tesfatsion is the Star Tribune’s digital Vikings writer. He is a 2013 graduate of Arizona State and worked for mlb.com before arriving in Minneapolis. Follow him at @masterstrib.